The Protector and the Child
by TorchwoodRose
Summary: This story will either be abandoned or re-uploaded on my new account, WhovianGirl.
1. Prologue: The Doctors Warning

_**Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. Robyn Smith belongs to Susan Henry. Everything else is mine.**__**The protector and the child**_

* * *

_**Prologue**_

_**The Doctors Warning**_

A young girl ran through the empty streets of Cardiff, heart hammering. As panicked as she was, she knew she must be silent, her life depended on it. She looked around for someone, anyone that could help her. A shadow cast on a wall made her freeze. She darted into an alley and backed against the wall.

It seemed an age before the creature passed. She stood and walked to the mouth of the alley. The creature faded into the distance and the girl sighed a breath of relief. The relief, however, was short lived as she turned out of the alley and into two more of the creatures. "Halt!" The first creature screeched. "Ple… Please." The girl whimpered, her American accent clear, even over the strong wind. "We do not show mercy!" The second creature said, harshly. Anger built in the girl for a brief moment. "You killed my mom, mother fu…" Her anger subsided as quickly as it had come and she trailed off. "Hostile elements will be exterminated!" The first creature said. In unison, they screamed. "Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMIN…!" "Oh, do you ever shut up?" A mans voice had come from the shadows, cutting the Daleks off. Both the two Daleks and the girl turned their heads towards the source of the voice. The girl was more scared than the Daleks. The man should not have been there. She knew for a fact, he was not meant to be there.

The man appeared, almost god like, from the shadows. When she saw him, the girl's heart skipped a beat. "Now! Are you going to leave, or am I going to have to do something incredibly brave and heroic?" The man said turning his head to the girl and winking. "Doctor! You are an enemy of the Daleks! You will be exterminated!" The first Dalek screeched. "No, I won't." The Doctor said, seeming quite sure of himself. "You are defenceless! You will be exterminated!" The first Dalek repeated. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You keep saying that. But! I am not defenceless!" The Doctor said. "Where is your defence?" The second Dalek asked. "Her." The Doctor stated matter of factly, pointing to the girl. The Daleks and the girl spoke at the same time. "Her?" Me?"

"Yes. Because, this whole world is under her control. If I'm right, and I usually am, then I should be able to do this." He said, clicking his fingers. The Daleks disappeared and the girl gasped. The Doctor turned to her, his expression serious. "Michelle Rosenberg, you are in more danger than you could possibly imagine. Come with me. We don't have much time."

Michelle's eyes snapped open. She sat bolt upright and looked around her bedroom. "He's coming." She said. "He's finally coming." She smiled.


	2. The Guardian

_**Chapter One**_

_**The **__**Guardian**_

"Michelle. Michelle, it's time to wake up." For a second, Michelle didn't recognise the voice. "Michelle! I'm going to be late for work!" Michelle opened her eyes to see the source of the Welsh accent. "Hey Gwen." Said Michelle. Michelle blinked. Gwen Cooper had been, for all intents and purposes, her carer for the last two years. So it was a complete mystery to her how she could not recognise her voice. She deduced that it was the dream. It had shaken her. She had seen the Doctor in her dreams before but he had never spoken to her. And he had certainly never appeared in _that_ dream.

Gwen looked at Michelle, slightly worried about the expression on her face. Michelle saw this and smiled. "Weird dream." Was all Michelle needed to say. Gwen nodded. "Come on. We don't want you missing school." Said Gwen. "Again." She added, with a slight smirk. Michelle rolled her eyes. "One time. That was one time, Gwen." Gwen chuckled then exited the room.

Michelle waited for the sound of the door closing. When the sound reached her ears, she dived under the bed and pulled a suitcase out. Dumping it on the bed, she opened it and gathered what remained of her clothes from the wardrobe, flinging it all in. She grabbed a bag that had been hidden for months in the back of her wardrobe and placed that next to the suitcase.

She practically skipped downstairs. He was coming. The man she had waited for for years, was finally coming to get her. The warning had not put her off. Danger was something that came with the Doctor. Whatever danger she was in, she'd deal with it. It was worth it to finally see the Doc… Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice in her head. "Hello?" The voice, a girl, said. The girl sounded younger than her. She can't have been older than six or seven. "Er, hello?" Michelle said, out loud but she hoped the girl would hear. "Hi." The girl said, sounding cheery. "How are you doing that?" Michelle asked, this time thinking it. It was a strange feeling. She knew she was psychic but she had never been directly contacted by someone before. "I'm psychic." The girl said. "So are you." She added, still sounding cheery. "Ok, how'd you find me?" The strain on her psychic abilities becoming too much. She winced.

"Are you ok?" The girl asked, sensing something was wrong. "I'm fine." Michelle replied, lying. The last thing she needed was a scared child in her head. "What's your name?" Michelle asked. "Robyn. Robyn Smith." She answered. "You?" She asked. "I'm Michelle. Michelle Hope Rosenberg." Michelle said, the pain becoming more intense. She sat down on the bottom step, clinging her head. "So, why'd you contact me?" Michelle asked, trying her hardest to ignore the pain. "You were thinking about my daddy." Robyn replied. "Your daddy? Who's your daddy?" Michelle asked. "The Doctor." Robyn said. Michelle's eyes narrowed. "And your mom?" She asked slowly. "Amy Pond." Robyn replied. Michelle's head shot up. "I've gotta go." Michelle said, breaking contact with Robyn.

Michelle shot upstairs, ran to her wardrobe and took out a sketch book. She cleared her suitcase and bag from the bed and sat. She searched through the book, drawing after drawing flashing past her in her hurry. Finally, she came to the picture she was looking for. A man and a woman standing on a beach. This had been one of the dreams that affected her the most. The woman loved the man, and the man returned those feelings. A caption at the bottom of the page. '_The Doctor and Rose Tyler on Bad Wolf Bay._' Scrawled underneath it was the caption. '_The first time._' Michelle sat, staring at the picture. She did not understand. Amy Pond with the Doctor? "Why." She mumbled. A single tear fell down onto her sketch book. She had felt the Doctors love for Rose as strong as if it were her own. His love for her stretched across universes, literally. She had felt how heartbroken he was when he left her on Bad Wolf Bay with his double. He had never told anyone that, not only was he heartbroken, but jealous. He was insanely jealous of his double. So much so, he wanted to defy the rules and break through the wall that separated them. He wanted to tell her. He _needed _to utter those three words he hadn't said before because he'd feared them. So she couldn't understand why he'd be with Amy_ and_ have a child with her. After everything, she couldn't grasp why.

She flicked through the book, looking at some of the other pictures. Reading the captions as she went. '_The Master and the year that never was_' The year she remembered because of her psychic abilities. '_The Doctors detox._' It was a drawing of the Doctor miming salt but Donna not getting it. The Doctors words echoed in her head. 'Harvey Wallbanger? How is Harvey Wallbanger one word?' She laughed. This had been one of the better dreams. As she remembered the whole detox she fell back on her bed laughing. She laughed more than she should have been. It was all the emotions catching up with her. The dream. The fact he's coming. Her being in danger. The little girl being the Doctors daughter. _Amy_ being Robyn's mother. All of this coming across in her, almost maniacal, laughter.

After a while, Michelle stopped laughing and slowly drifted off to sleep. Images flashed in her head. Some she had seen before. Some completely new. One image lingered more than the others. Her eyes opened and she realised she was facing the window. It was dark out. For a moment, she thought the Daleks had stolen the earth again. But when she looked at her clock, she sighed. "Gwen… Is going… To kill me." She mumbled. It was 7:30pm and she had missed school. _Again_. She shook this thought from her head. There was more important stuff to deal with. The Doctor said she didn't have much time, so surely he should be here already.

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed round the house. Michelle sighed. This had happened the other time she had missed school. "Michelle? Michelle are you here?" The fear in Gwen's voice clear. She almost didn't wanna call out to Gwen. She had explained soon after her mothers' death that one day she'd _have_ to go. She needed Gwen to understand that. Since her mothers' death, she had been trying to tell Gwen about the Doctor without _really_ telling her about him. She was a civilian, the less she knew, the better. Eventually, she called out to Gwen reluctantly. "I'm up here, Gwen." Gwen rushed into the room, the coldest look on her face. "Do you have any idea how worried I've…" Gwen started, but Michelle interrupted "Yes!" She said, anger building. Gwen needed to remember her place in Michelle's life. They didn't even really live together. Gwen lived next door. "Then why do you do it?" Gwen asked. "I didn't mean to, Gwen. I'm sorry." Michelle said, despising the word. She had nothing to be sorry for. Gwen sighed, sitting on the bed. "I just worry about you, that's all." This had started to get annoying and she couldn't bear to hear the 'I care about you.' speech again. Michelle sat up. "Well _don't_! You're not my mom!" She said harshly, knowing she'd pay for it later, but not caring. She stood and stormed out of the room, leaving Gwen sitting there speechless.


	3. The Doctor and the TARDIS

_**Chapter Two**_

_**The Doctor and the TARDIS**_

Michelle lay on her bed, the memories of the fight between her and Gwen still fresh in her mind.

She had walked back into her room, still mad. "Get out!" She said, glaring at Gwen. Excuse me?" Gwen said, standing. "You heard me! I want you out! This is _my_ room and I want you _out_!" Michelle snapped. "Remember who I am! I am your carer!" She said. At this, Michelle had gotten _really_ mad. "Yeah? Well I don't need a carer! I can take care of myself!" She said, pointing to the door. "Now, _get out_!" She added. "Young lady, you are 16 years old! You're still in school! Of course you need a carer!" Gwen had retorted. The 'young lady' comment pushed her over the edge. "Well maybe I don't plan on finishing school!" Michelle blurted. She would've regretted saying that instantly if she wasn't so angry. "This is about this 'place' you have to go to one day, isn't it?" Gwen asked, not holding back her anger. "So what if it is?" Michelle replied with as much anger as Gwen. "I am _not_ letting you leave before you've finished school! I won't let you waste your education!" Gwen yelled. At this, Michelle's expression turned ice cold. "YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" She yelled, running downstairs and out of the house, making sure to slam the door behind her.

Michelle snapped herself out of the memories. Her anger had stayed strong for at least half an hour after this. The longer she walked around aimlessly, the less angry she got. Eventually, she started to feel guilty. She hadn't meant to yell at Gwen like that. If anything, her thoughts during the entire fight were of the Doctor. She wanted so much to tell Gwen about him. About her psychic dreams. About _everything_. She liked Gwen. She really did. Gwen had been the first person to show kindness to Michelle after her mother died. She risked being put in a care home. Or being sent back to her aunt in America. But one day, Gwen came. She had seen Gwen around, but had never spoken to her. Gwen liked to keep herself to herself. Everyone knew that her life tended to revolve around her work. The only thing outside of her work was her husband, Rhys Williams. About two years into her mysterious new 'job', even _he_ became distant. When Gwen had offered to take her in, it seemed like it was the perfect arrangement. They both liked to keep to themselves.

Michelle had always been curious about how quickly it all went. She always thought these things took months. The only explanation she could think of was that Gwen used to be a police officer. Maybe she worked for a higher branch of the law now, and had the authority to rush these things through. Whatever the explanation, she was pleased. It worked… To a degree.

When she had come back, Gwen was gone. She thought about going round and apologising, but that would only give Gwen false hope that she was staying.

About an hour later, she was fast asleep, fully dressed, on her bed. In her dream, she was walking through the TARDIS. She assumed she was having, what she called the 'Amy dream'. Amy's first time in the TARDIS. But she realised this felt different. Almost relaxed.

She walked into the library and saw Amy, the Doctor, Jenny and a girl. She assumed the girl was Robyn. "Is this just a dream?" She mumbled to herself. Everyone continued what they were doing, except Robyn, whose head shot up. For a moment, Michelle wondered if Robyn could see her. But Robyn looked around the room in search of the sound she had heard. She turned to the Doctor. "Daddy?" She said, her voice indicating she was about to ask for a favour. "Yes honey?" The Doctor replied. "Can we go somewhere?" She asked. The Doctor smiled down at her. "We can go anywhere you want." He answered. She smiled. "Can we go to…?" She left it hanging, looking around as if in search of inspiration. "To?" The Doctor prompted. It was a few minutes before Michelle realised the girl didn't know where she lived, and it was _her_ cue she was waiting for. "Cardiff." Michelle said, staring straight at Robyn. "I wanna go to Cardiff, daddy." She said, smiling a smile that said 'thanks'. "Cardiff it is." The Doctor said, removing his sonic and quickly scanning her. Michelle found this odd but ignored it.

They all stood up and went to the console room. The Doctor hopped, skipped, and spun his way around the console, flipping switches and pulling levers. "Hold on tight." He said. Everyone grabbed onto something, except Michelle. The TARDIS jolted into action. Everyone was flung back but Michelle, who somehow remained upright. The sound of the TARDIS was quiet at first. But it started getting louder. Too loud for Michelle's liking.

Her eyes snapped open but she still heard the sound. She ran to her window and saw the TARDIS materialising out side her house. She grinned, grabbing her coat and practically throwing it on. She pulled her bags downstairs and out of the house.

Robyn rushed out of the TARDIS and spotted Michelle right away. "Michelle?" She asked. Michelle nodded. Robyn ran straight to her and hugged her. The Doctor appeared from the TARDIS, soon followed by Amy and Jenny.

The Doctor looked in bewilderment at his daughter. Michelle noticed this and slowly pried Robyn away from her. The Doctor wouldn't trust her straight away. That would take work. Robyn ran back to her father. "Daddy! Daddy! This is the girl I told you about." She said, grinning. She was trying to pull her father closer to Michelle. Finally, the Doctor gave in and walked forward. He broke out into a smile and took her hand, shaking it. "Nice to meet you, Michelle. Robyn's told me all about you." He said. Michelle had not been expecting this. It was a nice surprise. Jenny and Amy walked forward, picking Michelle's bags up. "We'll take these to your room." Jenny said. "I have a room?" Michelle asked, excitement filling her voice.

Michelle grinned. She headed for the TARDIS doors but took one last look at Gwen's house. Gwen appeared at her window, saw the TARDIS, and looked shocked. Michelle ran into the TARDIS before Gwen could stop her. Before she got in, she could have sworn she saw Gwen mouth Doctor. On seeing the interior of the TARDIS for real for the fist time, she forgot this.


	4. A Powerful Girl

_**Chapter T**__**hree**_

_**A Powerful Girl**_

Michelle walked to the console and circled it slowly. She had dreamt about the TARDIS but could never have imagined it would be this magnificent. "What do you think?" The Doctor asked. Michelle turned to him. "It's… It's just… I mean… Wow!" She stammered. The Doctor grinned. "Exactly. So, where do you wanna go?" He said. Michelle had not been expecting for the level of understand the Doctor and his companions had shown her. A thought occurred to her. _Why_ were they doing this? Robyn had told her father about Michelle being psychic and knowing about their life. Maybe the Doctor didn't trust her. She froze. "I… I don't…" Michelle said. She didn't want the Doctor to hate her. Not after all of her dreams. "Michelle? What's wrong?" The Doctor said. She just stared at him, unable to speak. "Jenny, Amy, can you take Robyn to the library?" The Doctor said. They nodded then walked out, leaving the Doctor and Michelle alone.

"You're wondering why I'm doing all of this for you." The Doctor said. "Yeah." She replied, still not taking her eyes off of the Doctor. "Michelle, I brought you here because Robyn has been talking about you for months." He said. "Months? But, I only spoke to her today!" Michelle squeaked.

The Doctor nodded. "I thought as much. You projected your thoughts back in time. Robyn picked up on that. At first, we all thought you were a figment of her imagination. But then she sensed you were upset. Something about…" He paused and took a deep breath. "About Rose. She couldn't possibly know who Rose is. That's when I knew you were real. For a while, I thought you were some sort of alien trying to get to me using Robyn. I scanned her and there were no traces of any external forces infiltrating her mind. About 2 weeks ago, she sensed you in the library. Asked if we could go to Cardiff. I scanned her again and found traces of the future. That's why we came on time. Well, on time from your point of view anyway." He explained.

Michelle stood there, jaw dropped. She knew she was psychic but she had no idea she had the ability to project, and receive thoughts through time. She leant against the console, thinking about this. Her thoughts went straight to her mother. Her mom had always been supportive of the dreams she had. Never saying they were fake. Even going so far as to tell her that she _had_ to listen to them. Maybe… Maybe she could contact her mo... "Don't even think about it!" The Doctor snapped. Michelle looked at him. "How did…?" She asked. "You don't have full control over your abilities yet. You were projecting your thoughts out. I heard every word you just said. Well, thought." He answered.

Michelle sighed. She didn't know how to control her powers. She wanted to and the Doctor was meant to help. She didn't know how he'd help but he would.

She was about to ask the Doctor how he could help when she heard Robyn scream. She had sensed Robyn's fear a second before the scream. It was enough time for her to dart down the TARDIS corridors before the Doctor had a chance to move. Michelle burst into the library and saw Robyn standing on a table. "Robyn? Are you ok?" She asked. "Spider!" Robyn answered. Michelle sighed but was relieved. "It's just a spider, Robyn. It won't hurt you." Michelle said, smiling softly. Robyn shook her head. "Giant." She said shakily. She pointed to behind Michelle. She turned to see what Robyn was pointing at and then screamed herself.

The Doctor finally burst into the library. When he saw the spider, he turned to Amy, who had just appeared from behind a large bookcase at the end of the room. "Keep Robyn safe!" He said, unnecessarily loud. Amy nodded and was about to take Robyn but the spider darted at her, blocking her way. It looked round at Robyn, hunger in its eyes, and Michelle could have sworn she saw it _grin_! It flew through the air towards Robyn and she screamed. "NO!" Michelle yelled. A seemingly invisible force struck the spider, sending it flying into a bookshelf. It fell to the floor, unconscious.

Everyone looked at Michelle, mouths wide. Michelle was staring at the spider, her eyes full of fear. She knew she had been the cause of the force that had disabled the spider. She had sensed the power build up in her. She looked around at everyone faces, each of them looking at her. Scared, Michelle ran out of the library and straight to her room. She knew now that all hope of the Doctor trusting her, was gone.

Michelle paced in her room. She didn't understand how she did what she did. As much as she tried to deny it though, she knew _why_ she did it. The spider had aimed for Robyn and in that moment, she felt angry. More angry than she had ever felt before. In that moment, all she knew was that she had to protect Robyn. She turned as she heard a knock on her door. "Go away." She said, scared. She didn't want to face the Doctor after what she had done. A soft whirring noise reached her ears and the sound of her door unlocking soon followed. The handle turned and the Doctor entered. "That's cheating." She grumbled, a slight smirk playing on her lips. The Doctor smiled. "You know me. Since when did I play by the rules?" He said, sitting on a chair in the corner of her room.

Michelle walked to her bed and sat, looking at the Doctor, expecting him to shout at her or something. "Thank you." The Doctor mumbled quietly. For what felt like the hundredth time, Michelle was surprised. "Did you just thank me?" She asked slowly. "You saved my daughters life. It's the very least I can do." He answered. "But, I hurt that thing. The spider thing." She stammered. "It wasn't a spider. It was an Aranea. It came from one of the books. I have a selection of very dangerous books. The less you know about them, the better. And it doesn't matter. You didn't kill it. I think, on some level, you never meant to. You are a very powerful girl Michelle Hope Rosenberg. If you wanted to, you could've killed it. Two kind acts in one day. You saved my daughters life, and showed mercy on a terrifying creature." He explained. "You would've done the same." She mumbled feeling embarrassed. "True. But I know my power. My limits. But _you_. _You_ are only just beginning to grasp your power. You showed mercy without knowing what you were doing. Now _that's_ power." He said. Michelle couldn't tell if the look on his face was fear, or awe. Either way, it made her uncomfortable.


	5. Barcelona Puppy

_**Chapter F**__**our**_

_**Barcelona**__** Puppy**_

Michelle walked into the console room to be greeted by Robyn rushing forward and hugging her. It was a kind of half hug, half cling. Michelle had the feeling she wasn't going anywhere for a long time. Once Robyn finally let go of Michelle, she barely had enough time to breath before Amy wrapped her arms round Michelle. She returned the hug in the hope it wouldn't last that long. "You saved my daughter. Thank you." Amy whispered into her ear. Michelle tensed. Amy noticed this and pulled back. "I understand that your powers, or whatever they are scare you but you used them for good. You should be proud." She said in an attempt to sooth her.

Michelle was glad that Amy hadn't understood but part of her wanted to shout at Amy. Tell her that she had no right being… She remembered what the Doctor said. 'You don't have full control over your abilities yet.' She cut her thoughts off. She couldn't risk the Doctor hearing. "Hearing what?" He whispered from behind her. She jumped and turned to face him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She asked harshly. The Doctor looked apologetic. "I didn't mean to scare you." He said. Michelle sighed. "It's ok. I just didn't realise you were so close." She mumbled.

The Doctor shrugged and went to lean on the console. "So! Have you thought about where you wanna go?" He asked. Michelle thought about this for a second. She turned to Robyn and after a couple of minutes, they both smirked. Michelle turned to face the Doctor again. "It's decided." She said matter of factly. The Doctor looked utterly confused. "What's decided?" He asked, head darting between Michelle and Robyn. "We wanna go to Barcelona." They both said at the same time, their smirks growing wider. They both knew the Doctor would figure out _why_ they chose Barcelona. Sure enough, seconds later he sighed and rolled his eyes. "We are _not _getting a noseless puppy." He said, using what Michelle called his 'authority voice'. "Ok." They said, in unison. The Doctor had a feeling he hadn't heard the last of the noseless puppy request.

Dismissing this, he set the TARDIS in motion. Remembering her dream, Michelle didn't hold onto anything. She regretted this the moment she was thrown to the floor. As the TARDIS flung its way through the time vortex, Michelle tried and failed to scramble herself into an upright position. By the time the TARDIS had landed, she was still on the floor, her hair a complete mess. The Doctor looked round at where Michelle had been standing, expecting her to still be there. He lowered his eyes to the spot she now occupied and stifled a laugh. She glared at him, this time not smiling, and stood. "It is _not_ funny!" She said. "And you!" She said, glaring at the console. "You could've given us a smoother ride!" She said, her smile slowly returning. The TARDIS gave an apologetic groan.

Michelle tried her best to make her hair as presentable as possible before making her way to the doors. She looked over her shoulder to the Doctor. "Go ahead." He said, sensing that was what she was waiting for. She turned back to the doors and opened them. All thoughts of her power, Amy and her fall gone as soon as she set eyes on the planet.

She slowly walked out of the TARDIS and onto the sandy surface of the planet. The sun was bright in the sky and made the sand beneath her feet the most beautiful shade of gold. To her right was an ocean that mirrored the blue of the sky. The habitants of the planet, adults and children alike splashing around. To her left were a row of shops that seemed to go on for miles.

Robyn had followed her out of the TARDIS and shared the same awed look that Michelle now held. Jenny, Amy and the Doctor soon followed. They all looked unsurprised by the beauty. They had clearly seen too much in their time to still be surprised by this amount of wonder. Michelle was shaken out of her thoughts by Robyn sending a telepathic nudge. Michelle looked at where Robyn was looking. In the distance, she saw a man and a child exit a shop, with a dog. They shared a very brief look. If their plan was to succeed, they'd have to take things slow.

Robyn showed what Michelle assumed to be _mock_ interest in the ocean. She ran straight for it and long jumped into it. They all called out at the same time but Robyn wasn't paying attention. Her clothes would, by now, be drenched. Jenny, Amy, the Doctor and Michelle all went their separate ways.

Michelle wandered over to a store that looked like it could sell DVDs. She walked in and looked around. The first thing she saw on entering the store was a television that looked like it was streaming live TV. It was an image of the earth from space. Again, Michelle stared in wonder. Years of psychic dreams and she had never seen the Earth from space before. This was a true first for her.

She felt someone or something tug at her arm and turned. Before her stood a bone dry Robyn. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she'd never had known Robyn had jumped into the water. "Self drying planet." She said, looking up at Michelle. "I got out of the water to go change. As soon as my feet hit the sand, I was dry. Isn't that cool?" She asked? Michelle nodded. "Very cool. Awesome!" she replied. "Can we go do the dog thing now?" Robyn pleaded. "Yes." Michelle answered. They both exited the shop and went in search of the Doctor.

After fifteen minutes of searching for the Doctor, Michelle spotted him walking out of a store, hiding something. "What's in that bag?" She asked. Robyn, who hadn't spotted him until Michelle spoke, turned. "Daddy?" She said, curiosity taking her over. "I was gonna save it for the TARDIS but…" He trailed off. He pulled the hidden object and placed it onto his head. "Ta da!" He said, looking pleased with himself.

Michelle and Robyn looked at each other and grinned. This was exactly the excuse they needed. Robyn nodded and Michelle walked forward. "Oh, Doctor. Doctor, Doctor, Doctor." She said, shaking her head in mock exasperation. "We'll give you a fair deal. You have a fez. We want a puppy." She stated. The Doctor had the look of a child that realised he had made a mistake. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ok, ok. We can get a puppy." He said.

Robyn cheered. "Yay!" She turned. "Mummy mummy! Daddy says we can get a puppy!" She said, running to Amy, who had just turned a corner with Jenny. "I knew he'd give in eventually." Amy said, smirking. They all made their way to the pet store and Robyn ran in when they were close enough.

They looked around and saw dogs and puppies of all breeds. Michelle and Robyn were drawn to a lone puppy at the back of the store. It was a Dalmatian that looked like it had no interest in the people that frequented the store. Its ears pricked up and slowly, it stood on all fours and turned. It barked in the direction of the two girls and they both sped up. The puppy bounded to the front of its cage and was barking happily. Michelle and Robyn looked at each other, and then back at the dog. "This one." The both mumbled.

Once they had brought the puppy, which turned out to be a female called Ariel, they walked out of the store and looked in a few more. Robyn had asked for a fez and somehow, they all left the store with one. Jenny had a green one. Robyn's was pink. Amy opted for a red one like the Doctors and Michelle chose a dark blue one. The Doctor had grinned and called them "The family fez." After this, Michelle was tempted to get rid of hers. But the shade of blue was too comforting.

They were all heading back to the TARDIS when Robyn stopped. Michelle trailed back and looked at where Robyn was looking. It was a small café and she wondered what was so interesting about it. "Daddy. It's uncle Rory." She called. The three fell back and looked into the café. Sure enough, sitting right next to the window, was Rory Williams.

The five of them went into the café and Rory looked up. "Took your time didn't you?" He said. He looked at all five of them in turn, his eyes lingering on Amy more than the others. Michelle seemed to be the only one to notice this. "How did you get here?" The Doctor asked. "Your friend brought me here. Said you'd most likely be on this planet. He also said to give you this." He answered, handing the Doctor a Vortex Manipulator. The Doctor took it and examined it. "Who gave you this, Rory?" He asked his voice grave. "He was a nice man. Said you two went way back. Even asked me to say hi." Rory replied, looking slightly confused. "His name! What was his name?" The Doctor pressed. "The Master." Rory answered. The Vortex Manipulator dropped to the floor.


	6. The Master Returns

_**Chapter Five**_

_**The Master Returns**_

As soon as Rory had said the Master, both the Doctor and Michelle felt a cold fear run through them. It was them that left the shop first, running straight for the TARDIS. Everyone piled in and the Doctor wired the Vortex Manipulator to the console, setting it in motion. "The Master, Doctor. How is he here?" Michelle asked, fear filling every atom of her being. "I don't know." The Doctor replied. "He died! I saw it!" She half yelled. "You think I don't know that?" He shouted as the TARDIS landed. "I'm sorry. I just… You're right. He _shouldn't_ be here." He said calmly. Michelle calmed too. "Doctor, last time I saw him, he was good. He did that thing. He sent the Time Lords away. That's good right?" She asked. "No. One kind act doesn't make him good." The Doctor stated. "He saved the world. I'd say that's a pretty big good deed for an evil genius." Michelle said.

The Doctor sighed and walked to the TARDIS doors. The other 4 stepped forward to follow him but he turned. "I want you all to stay here. Michelle, I need you to take care of Robyn. Amy, our daughter needs her mother." He said. Jenny stepped forward. "And me? What excuse do you have to leave _me_ behind?" She argued. The Doctor nodded to Rory. "Have you met Rory?" He said. Jenny looked at Rory, confused. In that moment of distraction, he slipped out, sonicing the doors behind him.

To everyone's surprise, it was Rory that showed the most anger at being left behind. "I was the one he approached." He mumbled, sounding like a hurt child. To distract themselves from what they saw as the Doctors betrayal, they all started swapping stories of their adventures. Michelle was the only one that didn't speak. She could sense they were all angry at being left behind and a smirk appeared on her face. That turned into quiet laughter. After hearing Robyn think 'Dad's a poo poo head' her quiet laughter turned into a fit of crazy laughter. Everyone looked at her. "What's so funny?" Jenny asked. "You're all forgetting about the massive spider." She answered. Realisation dawned on everyone's face… except Rory's. "Giant spider? There's a giant spider?" He asked. Michelle nodded. "The Doctor isn't the only one that can cheat." She mumbled, turning to face the door. She felt the power build up in her and the sound of the doors unlocking soon followed. "Bingo." She said, grinning.

The Doctor had barely been out of the TARDIS five minutes when he heard the thoughts of Michelle Rosenberg. He sighed. She really needed to control her thoughts. And Robyn was going to be in trouble when he got back. He paused and waited for his companions. He thought there was no point in walking further away. They were coming anyway thanks to Michelle. Sure enough, minutes later, the five turned the corner. He turned to Robyn. "Poo poo head. Am I?" He scolded, looking down at her. Robyn bit her lip, half ashamed, half not wanting to laugh. "Sorry. I couldn't just wait behind. I really think he's better now." Michelle said. "Yeah? Well you don't know him as well as I do. The Master never changes." He retorted.

Michelle sighed and rolled her eyes. She wasn't gonna win this battle. "Any sign of him?" Jenny asked. "No. I traced the last place the Vortex Manipulator was used. This is it. And I can't see him anywhere." He said. A mixture of fear and annoyance in his voice. "Well, isn't that good?" Amy asked. "I mean, if he's as bad as you say he is, isn't it good that he's gone?" She elaborated. The Doctor shook his head. "No. There are only two reasons he'd give me that Vortex Manipulator. 1: He wanted to lead us into a trap. 2: He wanted to lead us here so he could do something somewhere else. Either way, it can't be good." He explained.

"Who is he?" Asked Robyn. The Doctor and Michelle both looked at her. Michelle opened her mouth to speak but the Doctor spoke over her. "A bad man." He said. He looked at Michelle and created a telepathic link. _"It's better if she doesn't know." "So we just lie to her?_ Michelle snapped. _"Yes!"_ The Doctor answered. _"She has a right to know Doctor! If we keep treating her like a child, how is she ever supposed to grow up?"_ She said. The Doctor paused. _"Fine!"_ He said. Michelle looked at Robyn. "The Master is a Time Lord like your father. But he's not a good one. He's a very bad one. And your dad may not agree with this but I need you to see what he looks like. In case you ever see him. Better safe than sorry." She explained. The last part more to the Doctor than Robyn. "Will you let me do that?" Michelle asked. Robyn nodded.

Michelle focused all of her energies on remembering the Master. The image of him in his suit on board the Valliant came to her mind. She figured this was enough and imagined the image transferring from her head to Robyn's. She opened her eyes. "Robyn, if you ever see that man, you scream. Ok? Just scream as loud as you can. And if I'm not near, then scream in your head too." Said Michelle. Robyn nodded.

They all started walking again, each of their heads darting around for any sign of the Master. After a while, they all split up. Robyn, Amy and Michelle going one way. The Doctor, Jenny and Rory the other.

The Doctor walked a few paces ahead of Rory and Jenny. Jenny caught up and stopped him. "Doctor. Is he really _that_ bad?" She asked. Her tone full of concern. The Doctor closed his eyes. "Yes. If you could see the things he's done. The civilisations he's destroyed… He's a monster." He said through gritted teeth. Jenny nodded and let him walk. She and Rory hung back; a bit afraid at how the Doctor was reacting. He turned to her. "How did you meet the Doctor?" He asked in a hushed tone. "I'm his daughter." She answered. "But… I thought Robyn was his daughter." Said Rory. "She is. So am I. Except, I'm not biological. Well… I am. The people from my home planet, Messaline, took his DNA and made me." She explained. "And before you even think about it, _don't_ say I'm not real!" She snapped. "Wouldn't dream of it." He said, smirking.

Michelle stuck by Robyn's side as they walked. Robyn had almost died once, she wasn't gonna let it happen again. Amy glanced back. "Robyn, sweetie, why don't you go ahead a bit? I want to talk to Michelle." Amy requested. Michelle tensed. She didn't want to leave Robyn's side. Robyn nodded and walked just a few paces ahead of them. "You're very protective of her." Amy observed in a quiet voice. Michelle, who was still keeping her eyes locked on Robyn, nodded. "Yes." She said in the same tone as Amy. "You've kept her safe, I'm pleased. But…" Amy trailed off. "You wanna know why." Michelle finished her sentence. "Yes." Amy replied. "I don't know. I just don't want her hurt, that's all." She said.

Michelle smiled as an image reached her head. _"Yes, Robyn. That's him." _She said. Michelle assumed Robyn was relaying the image back to her but she realised something was wrong. This Master wore a hoodie. And the street looked familiar. Robyn screamed. Michelle's head shot around and she saw the Master clinging onto Robyn. Michelle felt the power build up in her but as soon as she tried to use it, it settled. She cursed. She ran forward but the Master used the Vortex Manipulator and disappeared.


	7. The Master Imprisoned

_**Chapter S**__**ix**_

_**The Master Imprisoned **_

Michelle stood on the spot, frozen. She had felt the power build up in her so she couldn't understand why it didn't work. The Doctor, having heard the scream, arrived. He looked around and realised. "Whe... Where's Robyn." He said. He looked at Michelle. "I… I couldn't… I tried… He…" She stammered. Jenny and Rory rushed towards them. "What happened?" Jenny asked, looking around. "Where's Robyn?" She asked. "Where'd he take her?" The Doctor asked Michelle. She shook her head. "I don't know. It's like… I _can't_ use my powers on him." She mumbled. "Robyn told me you know about the year that never was. How could you know about that and not know…" "It's you. I saw that cause of you." Michelle interrupted.

The Doctor growled in frustration. "Do you at least know _how_ he got away?" He asked. "Vortex Manipulator." Amy said quietly. It had been the first time she spoke since the Master appeared. The Doctor looked at Amy, whose eyes were filling with tears. He went to her and hugged her. "We'll get her back." He whispered. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, one hand tangled in her hair. "We will get our daughter back!" He said, determination filling his voice. Michelle flinched but shook the feeling off. Now was not the time for old emotions to be brought up. She had to save Robyn. The Doctor looked into Amy's eyes. "Amy. I need you to be strong. For Robyn." He said. She slowly nodded. The Doctor looked at everyone. "Let's go."

The Doctor led the way to the TARDIS. Michelle following close behind. As expected, when they got there the Vortex Manipulator was gone. "I knew it. He knew we'd be looking for him. He needed us distracted long enough so he could come here and take the Vortex Manipulator back. But why Robyn? What use could Robyn possibly be to him?" He yelled. He turned on Michelle, stomped to her and gripped her shoulders. "You're the psychic! Find her!" He growled. "Doctor…" Rory began nervously. "Shut up!" He snapped without taking his eyes off of Michelle. "I… I can't." She said, scared. "Try!" He ordered shaking her. Michelle blinked then collapsed into the Doctors arms.

As angry and upset as he was, instinct kicked in and he scooped her up as she fell. He carried her to the nearest room and rested her on the couch.

Michelle walked through a strangely familiar corridor. A gas pipe to her right hissed, making her jump. She made her way through the maze of corridors, going up and down stairs trying to find something that would explain where she was. She thought she was on a boat. Michelle turned as she heard a voice that filled her with anger. She walked towards a door and heard the Master speaking. "Make it stop. You can make it stop." He mumbled, sounding pained. Robyn screamed. "I want my daddy!" Her voice sounding hoarse. She had clearly been screaming for a while. The Master sighed. "You're never going to see them again so will you just SHUT UP!" He yelled. "I need you, Robyn. To make it stop. The drumming."

Michelle sat bolt upright, looking for someone or something to hold. The Doctor rushed forward hugging her. He looked her in the eye. "What happened? Are you ok?" He asked a drastic change in tone from the last time. "The Master. Dru… Drums. Valliant." Was all she could say.

The Doctor had left Rory to take care of Michelle. She was still shaken up. Jenny had opted to stay behind with them while Amy went with the Doctor. The Doctor had tried to see how the Master got onto the Valliant. What he found, he didn't like. The Master had made a Valiant replica. And the drums didn't sound good. He didn't know how the Master could use Robyn to help get rid of the drums.

Michelle sat drinking the tea the Doctor had made for her. She was shaken. Her dreams usually came when she was sleeping. Something in her awoke when the Doctor shook her. She was scared. She thought the Doctor was going to kill her. But that wasn't it. She knew that much at least. Whatever it was, even if it made her fear for her life, it was good. They were one step closer to finding Robyn.

She shivered violently again and Rory rushed forward. "It's ok. You're ok. What did you see this time?" He asked, handing her some chocolate. The Doctor had advised she eat chocolate. 'Calms the nerves.' He had said. She nibbled at the chocolate. "It's getting worse. She's colder. And he's shouting at her. She doesn't want to be shouted at!" She said, half echoing what Robyn was feeling. She had tried to contact Robyn telepathically but the Master blocked all thoughts getting in and out of the Valiant duplicate.

Rory gave a barely audible sigh. He didn't like that Robyn was being treated this way and he also didn't like the violent panic attacks Michelle was having. They weren't healthy. "I'm fine." Michelle croaked. Her voice was hoarse from the screaming. "No you're not! Look at you! You're a mess!" Jenny said, worried. "Thanks, Jenn. I feel _great_ now." Michelle said, trying her hardest to smile. The sarcasm was enough to lighten the mood. Minutes later, Michelle shook more violently than ever and passed out. "Michelle!" Both Rory and Jenny screamed.

Michelle was back on board the duplicate and this time stood directly behind the Master. He was standing over Robyn, staring her down. "You have to help me." He begged, his voice soft and fearful. This shook her a bit. She didn't expect the Master to beg for anything. Especially help from a 6 year old girl. Robyn stared up at him. "I'll _never_ help you!" She said.

Michelle smirked. The kid was stronger than she thought. Unlucky for Robyn though, the Master was stronger. He knelt down to her level and gripped her shoulders. "I _wasn't_ asking!" He growled. Fear filled Robyn's eyes once more. "What do you want from me?" She asked quietly. "With your psychic abilities, I can stop the drumming in my head." He stated. He stood. "Take her." He said to a nearby guard.

Robyn shuffled back against the wall, crying. "No. Please no!" She whimpered. The guard picked her up. Ignoring the kicks and screams of the girl, he took her out of the cell and carried her through the halls. Michelle followed, wanting more than ever to kill the Master, who walked behind the guard. They approached a room with big wooden doors. Something that sounded like machinery came from the room. They all walked in and Michelle gasped.

Ahead of them, was a chair that had all kinds of wires extruding from it. The guard flung Robyn onto the chair, wiring her up. Michelle snapped awake. "We have to get the Doctor!" She said, getting up.

Michelle darted through the TARDIS and reached the console room. She tried as hard as she could to keep the images fresh in her head. The Doctor saw the look on her face and placed his hands either side of her head. After the dream had transferred from her head to the Doctors, he pulled his sonic screwdriver out and scanned her. He typed co-ordinates into the console and sent the TARDIS hurtling through the vortex. Everyone clung on tight to the console. Jenny, Rory and Amy clueless about what was happening.

When the TARDIS landed, the Doctor flew at the doors yanking them open. Everyone followed him as he ran through the duplicate. "Robyn?" He yelled. They all soon followed suit, calling out for Robyn. Michelle stood on the spot and closed her eyes. "This way!" She said, pointing to her right. The Doctor ran down the stairs she had pointed to. Michelle felt a cold feeling in her stomach as she saw the double doors. "There." She said, pointing.

They all burst in and saw Robyn wired up, weak, barely conscious. The Doctors fist flew at the Master. He staggered but didn't fall. The Master just laughed and looked at the Doctor. "Soon. Soon I'll be better. The drums will be gone." He said. The relief in his voice making Michelle feel sick. "Stop whatever you're doing! I'll help you just _let her go!_" The Doctor yelled.

Michelle tried to build the power up again but there was nothing there. She looked at the Master and felt weak. Her fear deepened. She heard a low groan and looked towards Robyn. Robyn's eyes were barely open but Michelle could tell that they lay on her. Seeing Robyn weak, beaten, and wired up built the anger she needed. She looked at the Master and sent a psychic jolt to his mind. He screamed and fell to the floor, passed out.

Rory rushed to the guard and knocked him out. Jenny turned the machine off and Amy and the Doctor went to free Robyn from the machine. The Doctor picked her up and handed her to Amy. Robyn's arms hung loosely around her neck. She walked back towards the TARDIS, followed by Jenny and Rory, whose hands were linked.

Michelle and the Doctor waited for the Master to wake up. He looked at her. "You did it again. You saved her. Thank you." He said, his voice exhausted. "Not in time." She mumbled. "Robyn's alive. That's all that matters." He soothed. "I guess." She said. The Master stirred. Michelle and the Doctor stood.

The Master looked around and sighed. "Again, Doctor." He said. The Doctor nodded. "Yes. I'll always be there to stop you. Not that anything like this is gonna happen every again." He said. The Master stood. "What do you mean?" He asked. You're coming with me. Back to the TARDIS. You're dangerous." Said the Doctor. "You've got your pet at last." The Master sneered. "Not pet. Prisoner." The Doctor stated. "What?" The Master retorted. "You're too dangerous to be allowed to wander around. Even on the TARDIS. You'll be locked in a deadlocked room… Forever." He said.

Michelle and the Doctor led the struggling Time Lord back to the TARDIS. Once they were inside, Michelle let go. She took one last look at the duplicate ship, a strange feeling in her stomach then closed the doors.


	8. The Face

_**Huge thanks to Celestina Van Helsing for the beta reading.**_

_**Sorry for the long wait in updating. Life's been hectic and I lost all my work but I've managed to work things out.**_

* * *

_**Chapter Seven**_

_**The Face**_

Michelle followed the Doctor out of the Zero Room.

"Doctor! Please listen to me!" she said.

He turned to her. "For the last time, Michelle, it _can't_ happen!" he insisted.

"It happened with the Master. And after new years, who's to say it's not the same for…?" she began.

"Just stop! I don't want to hear this anymore," he said with an air of finality.

Michelle growled in frustration but let it go. '_For now_,' she thought.

The Doctor stormed off towards the console room while Michelle turned to go to her room. She turned a corner and ran straight into Robyn.

"Robyn. You should be in the medi-bay," Michelle said, concerned.

"No I should not!" Robyn replied, her expression cold.

"Robyn…?" said Michelle, hesitantly.

"You and daddy are talking about something. Something dangerous. Why aren't you telling me?" she replied.

Michelle sighed. "Robyn, it's probably nothing," she mumbled.

"No it's not. I can sense it," said Robyn.

"My fear is nothing to be concerned about, Robyn."

"Not you. Daddy. I can sense daddy's fear."

Michelle looked at Robyn then the direction the Doctor went. Hope swelled. If the Doctor was scared, it meant she had got through to him. She smiled.

"Robyn, I have to go," she said, running off towards her room. Robyn stood there, arms folded, scowling.

An hour had passed since her heated discussion with the Doctor. Michelle sat on her bed, legs crossed and eyes closed. She focused on the dreams she had had. Her mind was slowly slipping away, the dreams becoming more prominent.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, falling off the bed. A knock had interrupted her thoughts and brought her mind rushing back. The Doctor heard the thump and rushed in to see her sprawled out on the floor. Her eyes met the Doctor's and she glared.

"Thanks, Doctor. Thanks a lot!" she grumbled.

The Doctor held out his hand for her and she grasped it firmly as he pulled her up.

"Mind explaining what exactly you were doing?" he asked.

"I was trying to focus my powers. See things without sleeping. And it was working too. Until _you_ knocked," she answered, smirking.

"Oh… Well… Sorry," he said.

"It's ok. I only saw one thing. Just a face. Happens every time," she said, frowning.

The Doctor grew slightly concerned. "Whose face?" he asked.

"I don't know. A woman. I saw her in a dream the night you came to collect me. It's ok." Michelle said, dismissing it with a wave of her hand.

But the Doctor wasn't letting her off that easy. "Michelle, this could be important. Who is it?" he pressed, worry in his voice.

"I don't know. It's just a face. A woman. It really isn't important," said Michelle, aggravation rising.

"It really _is _important, Michelle. Whose perspective is the dream from? Where are you in the dream?" he asked.

Michelle could tell she wasn't getting out of this so she closed her eyes trying to remember.

"The face is… It's like she's hovering over me. I think I'm on the floor. Maybe she's hurt me, I don't know," she said slowly.

"Does it feel like she's hurt you? The mood. Search for the mood," he said.

Michelle searched deeper into the dream and winced. She didn't like it. She shook her head.

"I don't wanna do this anymore," she said, closing her eyes tighter as if in the hope the feeling would leave.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

"It's ok. It's not your fault," sighed Michelle.

"Oh. Michelle. I really am sorry," he repeated.

She grew suspicious but before she could do anything the Doctor's hands were on either side of her face, searching her emotions himself.

"Doctor! No!" she cried.

All she could do was block the images. She didn't want him to see her dreams. But it was too late too block her emotions from him. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at the Doctor.

"I trusted you," she said before running out of her room.

Michelle rushed through the TARDIS, searching for somewhere of comfort. Before she could get too far, something flew through the air and pinned her to the ground. Ariel stood on Michelle's stomach, eyes angry.

Ariel barked. _"You made mummy sad! Why did you make mummy sad?"_

Michelle blinked.

"Are you… Are you talking?" she asked.

Ariel barked again. _"Psychic. You're psychic that's why you can hear me,"_ she replied. Michelle nodded. "Ok. Next question. What do you mean 'mummy'? I haven't done anything to Amy," she said.

"_No__t Amy. Robyn. Robyn's my mummy,"_ said Ariel.

Now Michelle realised what the puppy was trying to tell her. "Oh. Listen, I'm sorry about that. But there're some things that a 6 year old girl shouldn't hear. This is one of them," she explained.

Ariel stepped off of Michelle's stomach and she sat up.

"_What kind of things?" _Ariel asked.

Michelle sighed and closed her eyes. Ariel whined and she opened her eyes again.

"Don't tell Robyn ok?" she asked. Ariel nodded then padded away sadly.

Michelle walked through the TARDIS to her one place of comfort, under the console. She was trying to figure out why it was so important that the Doctor figure out who the woman in the dream was. While she was thinking, Michelle was doodling in her sketch book.

"There she is again," the Doctor said, poking his head under the console. Still drawing, Michelle sighed.

"You know, you've really gotta stop doing that. You might get hurt," she said, tapping her head.

"No, I won't," the Doctor said, mirroring the words he had said in her Dalek dream. This was enough to tear her eyes away from her sketch book.

"What did you just say?"

"I said you won't hurt me," answered the Doctor, looking slightly confused. Michelle shook her head.

"Déjà vu," she said.

The Doctor smiled and beckoned her forward. She made her way up to the console and leant against it.

"I found something very interesting in your room. _You_ must have packed it otherwise it wouldn't be in your bag."

A flicker of anger arose in Michelle before it dissipated. She simply sighed.

"And do you plan on telling _why_ you were going through my stuff?" she asked.

"I thought there might be some sort of reason you were dreaming about her. I rummaged and I found this," he said, holding an object up. Michelle looked at it and shrugged. "That's all? I've had that my whole life. My mom handed it down to me. Said it was a family heirloom," she explained.

The Doctor shook his head.

"You know very well what this is," he stated. She examined closer and still didn't see what the Doctor was talking about.

"I don't see anything special," she said.

The Doctor looked at it and nodded solemnly. "I thought so. It's got a very powerful perception filter on it. Means you notice it but it's just normal to you. Even if you see others exactly like it and learn what it is, you still won't realise what this is until… Well you know," he said.

Michelle was getting more confused by the second.

"What on earth are you talking about?" she yelled. She didn't like being kept in the dark. "I'll leave you to figure that out," he said, leaving the item on the console. He exited with a sad look on his face.

Michelle walked forward and traced her finger over the object hoping to feel something. When nothing happened, she took a deep breath and picked it up. She turned it over and over in her hand and still felt nothing.

"It's just a dumb old fob watch," she mumbled, slipping it in her pocket and walking deeper into the TARDIS.


	9. Becoming a Habit

_**Chapter Nine**_

_**Becoming a Habit**_

Michelle lay on her bed and looked at the fob watch. She hoped, if she stared at it long enough, some unknown answer would come to her. The Doctor, and the other TARDIS inhabitants, had steered well clear of her room. Michelle suspected the Doctor had something to do with this. In a way, she was grateful. It gave her more time to try and figure out what it was about this perfectly harmless item that made the Doctor so nervous.

She had to admit, she felt _something_. What exactly that 'something' was, she didn't know. It was like a part of her memory was being blocked. She knew she knew something, but the watch blocked her knowledge.

Suddenly, an idea hit. She reached for her sketch book and searched through it. Everything she'd ever dreamt of was in that sketch book. Holding the fob watch in one hand, she used her other to flick through the pictures.

A sudden feeling of dread washed over her. She wanted to turn the page but something was stopping her. The watch now weighed heavy in her hand. She gritted her teeth and reached to turn the page when she heard a loud, familiar scream. The fob watch and sketch book lay forgotten on the floor.

Michelle darted through the TARDIS towards the screams. Once she reached them, she came to a stop. The Master stood at the door to his 'prison' with his hands on either side of Robyn's face. The first emotion that hit Michelle was anger, but that was soon washed away with the overwhelming feeling of sorrow. This sorrow didn't come from Robyn, like she expected. It came from the Master. She looked at his face and saw that his expression exactly matched his emotion.

Amy Pond was the next to arrive and she went straight for the Master.

"Get your hands off my daughter, bastard!" she yelled, kicking him in the stomach.

Robyn fell to the floor mumbling.

"He tricked me. Said he was sorry. I… I thought…" she trailed off.

"It's ok, Robyn. You're safe now. You're safe," her mother said, cradling Robyn in her arms.

Michelle looked at the Master and saw a single tear fall down his face as Amy deadlocked the room again. Behind the locked door, the Master sighed.

"I'm sorry," he said. For the first time, Michelle believed him. Amy walked away with Robyn in her arms.

Finally, Michelle fell to the floor and let out the tears she'd been holding onto. The Doctor quietly approached her and wrapped his arms around her. She sobbed into his chest.

"He didn't mean it. It wasn't his fault. He didn't want to. Something made him. Something… Not his fault… Not his…" Michelle sobbed. She couldn't find any other words. To her surprise, the Doctor agreed.

"I know. I know." He soothed.


	10. A Heart to Hearts with Koschei

_**Chapter Ten**_

_**A Heart to Hearts with Koschei**_

Everyone had gathered in the console room. The Doctor sat in the jump seat and looked around at each of his silent companions. Eventually, the silence was broken.

"We have to do something." said Michelle.

"Yeah? Well, I'm open to any ideas you have!" Amy snapped.

"I don't know, do I?" Michelle yelled, anger filling her. Amy was about to retort when the Doctor stood.

"Enough! For some reason, someone's out to get Robyn. Arguing won't help us figure out who or why!" said the Doctor. Michelle and Amy shared a look but didn't continue.

"Is it that thing?" said Robyn from the corner of the room. Everyone looked at her.

"What thing, sweetie?" asked Amy.

"The thing that daddy and Michelle were talking about before," she answered.

Amy looked at the Doctor, confused.

"That was nothing. It was just Michelle throwing wild theories about. Completely ridiculous theories!" he said with an air of finality.

"My little sister is in danger, dad! I'd take wild theories over the nothing that we have so far! What is it?" Jenny asked. The Doctor looked at Michelle and gave a slight shake of his head. Michelle ignored this.

"I'm done hiding things from my friends, Doctor," she stated, looking to the rest of the group.

"I've got a theory…" Michelle started, and the whole zero room conversation came back to her.

"Michelle? Why have you pulled me in here?" the Doctor had asked.

"When we were bringing the Master back, I felt something. I looked out to the Valiant and sensed something besides the Master. Like it wasn't him that orchestrated the whole Robyn kidnap thing." was Michelle's reply.

The Doctor looked worried.

"You think maybe the Daleks or some other creature did this?" he asked. Michelle had the feeling he was playing dumb and growled.

"Doctor! You have gotta stop pretending you're the last one! We have someone locked up on the TARDIS that's living proof you're not!"

"The Master is a freak coincidence, Michelle! They're all gone. None of them are coming back. Ever!" he yelled and exited the room.

After Michelle had explained her theory, the others all agreed with the Doctor. At least, most of the others.

"I say it can happen." Robyn said. Everybody turned to face her.

"It's impossible!" The Doctor retorted. Rory and Amy nodded. Robyn looked hurt and Jenny smiled. She looked at the Doctor.

"Not impossible. Just a bit unlikely," she said, mirroring the words he had once said to Donna on Messaline. The Doctor rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Ok, let's say this is even remotely possible. Why would they want Robyn? What use could she possibly be to the Time Lords? It's not like they need the psychic energy," he pondered.

Michelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"There's only one person that would know," The Doctor looked at her.

"No. It's too dangerous. Your powers don't work on him. If he tried to hurt you, you could die," he said.

"It's the only option we have. Unless you can think of some other way," she eyed him, knowing he'd have to admit she was right.

"Fine. But I go with you," he demanded. Michelle nodded and they both left the console room.

Once they reached the Masters room, Michelle turned to the Doctor and opened up a telepathic link.

"_I should go in alone. He hardly sees me as a threat. If we both go in, he'll think we're ganging up o__n him. We want him to feel safe,"_ she said. The Doctor nodded once and Michelle released the deadlock.

She hesitantly opened the door and entered. The Master, on seeing her, backed against the back wall.

"No. You can't… You can't be here. I could… I could hurt…" he stammered. She took a tentative step forward and he shuffled away from her.

"You won't hurt me," she said, believing it to be true.

"I will. I don't want… But I can't control," he said, becoming more scared. Michelle knelt down next to him and placed her hand on his arm, opening her mind to him.

"_Koschei…" _she said quietly. This was enough to calm him and he looked at her.

"What… How can I…? What do you need?" he said, fear slowly leaving his voice.

"We need to know who's making you do this. Why does this person want Robyn dead?" she asked.

"Not… Not dead. Not her… Not dead." the Master said.

"What do you mean?" asked Michelle slowly.

"It's a test. Not for her. Nobody wants anybody dead. Least of all me." he stated, looking at her.

"What kind of a test?" Michelle asked, still not quite sure what was going on. The Master reached out to her and she flinched. His hand reached her face.

"I promise I won't let anybody hurt you," he said. Michelle searched his eyes and the pieces of the puzzle that were her dreams were slowly falling into place. The picture she found was unsettling. Michelle pulled away and nodded, shocked.

"Ok. Thanks, Master. That's all I need to know." Michelle said shakily. She stood and backed away from the Master, not taking her eyes off of him until she was out of the room. She closed the door and activated the deadlock again.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked, worried by her expression. Michelle shook her head.

"Nothing. We just… spoke," was her reply. The Doctor was going to push her for an answer but she walked away from him towards the garden room.


End file.
